Measles (patient information)

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What is Measles?

Measles is an infectious respiratory disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily from person to person. The main symptom of measles is an itchy skin rash. The rash often starts on the head and moves down the body.

The virus normally grows in the cells that line the back of the throat and in the cells that line the lungs.

Measles is also called Rubella.

What are the Symptoms of Measles?

Common Symptoms

• Fever
• Rash
• Cough
• Runny Nose
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)

Serious Symptoms/Complications

• Diarrhea
• Ear infections
• Pneumonia
• Encephalitis
• Seizures
• Death

Approximately 20% of reported measles cases experience one or more complications. These complications are more common among children under 5 years of age and adults over 20 years old.

Measles causes ear infections in nearly one out of every 10 children who get it. As many as one out of 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, and about one child in every 1,000 who get measles will develop encephalitis. (This is an inflammation of the brain that can lead to convulsions, and can leave your child deaf or mentally retarded.) For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die from it. Measles can also make a pregnant woman have a miscarriage, give birth prematurely, or have a low-birth-weight baby.

In developing countries, where malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency are prevalent, measles has been known to kill as many as one out of four people. It is the leading cause of blindness among African children. Measles kills almost 1 million children in the world each year. Template:WH Template:WS